there is a trick that might get the hub apart easier, and you can field test the idea.
heat the hub/shaft junction area, get it a little red if you can.
then push an ordinary taper candle into the junction of the hot shaft and the hub.
the candle will melt and wick into the joint and help remove the friction forces
holding the hub in place. get plenty of wax all around that large surface area.
then use whatever puller you have and see if you get joy. don't burn yourself.

it worked for me to safely remove without damage a large pulley on a toro
snowblower auger section that you could not get an ordinary puller on.
i saved $80.00 by not destroying the large diameter pulley. it might help
you? it's worth a try.

good luck, bill

I was taught, right or wrong, to tighten the puller as much as you can and then smack the center bolt a couple of good healthy blows with a small sledge hammer. This applies a solid inward shock to the axle. Then make sure the center bolt is good and tight and smack it again. Repeat as required.

Steve, I’ve taken off a few of these hubs. My first try was on my 63 PV544 using a heavy duty three pronged puller. Of course it did not work.

So, I built a puller out of thick plate that bolted to the hub using the five stud nuts. I welded a piece of pipe to the plate with a one inch nut to the other end of the pipe. Then used about a 4 inch long 1” bolt. That did the trick.

Recently, I took apart a few badly rusted P210s and attempted to use my home built puller again, but even after heating and using an impact gun, the hubs would not separate after what must have been most likely 50 to 60 year of being stuck together. Then I realized that the puller I built had the 1 inch coarse thread and I could not exert enough force to pull the hub. So I built another puller with 1 inch fine thread bolt. Using the fine thread puller with an impact gun worked, but it still struggled.

I think if I had to do it over again, I would modify the setup to mount a small hydraulic jack instead of the screw.

So the short answer is that with sufficient force, they will come off, but you will need a very heavy duty puller. If you cannot make one, they are available but fairly pricy. I just could not justify the cost for very infrequent use.

If you are able to fabricate something, I would recommend you go the hydraulic jack method, but make it very strong and be very careful to protect yourself while pulling the hub.

Jim K

Steve;

This is a well-known issue with 544, 122, and 1800 vehicles, which has to be addressed every time rear Drum Brakes need servicing...but STOP!! before proceeding ANY further!

"beating on the drums with a small sledge around the the circumference" is a sure way to break the Drums, even before removing them!

To remove Drum you must break the stretched-on tapered joint connection between Drumhub and Axle. This should ONLY be done using a proper Puller of the accepted type, and correct techniques, because high forces (at least!) need to be applied...sometimes, ultrahigh forces are necessary, and these will be enough to, if applied wrongly, damage, bend, or break things.

I have captured everything you need to know...suggested reading BEFORE proceeding ANY further: https://www.sw-em.com/Brake_Drum_Notes.htm

Good Hunting!